Man dies after fall from North Maroon Peak near Aspen

ASPEN – A man fell to his death at North Maroon Peak on Saturday morning, the second life the notorious peak has claimed in a three-month span.

The climber, believed to be in his 30s, fell between 600 and 1000 feet, according to a Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office statement. Rescue personnel believe the climber had been wearing a helmet but not a harness.

At 9:20 a.m., officials were notified that a male climber had fallen in an area known as the “second gully.” Initial reports placed the climber at 300 feet from the peak’s summit at the time of the fall. Climbers unrelated to the incident were able to reach the fallen man and determined that he had died from injuries sustained in the fall.

At 12:10 p.m., a two-person Mountain Rescue Aspen team was placed in the field via helicopter. By 2 p.m., the body had been recovered and was later turned over to the Pitkin County Coroner’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office had no further information regarding the identity of climber.

Saturday’s death marks the second at North Maroon Peak this year. In July, Lenny Joyner, a 31-year-old New York City paramedic, fell 1,000 feet to his death. The peak is located 11 miles southwest of Aspen, at 14,014 feet.

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